KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed the session on Friday on a distinctly bearish note, as widespread selling pressure dragged all indices lower and overall trading activity plummeted.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped by 638.50 points, or 0.39 percent, settling at 163,806.22 against its previous close of 164,444.72 points. The index oscillated between an intraday high of 165,030.82 and a low of 163,118.01, failing to sustain early gains.
On Friday, BRIndex100 closed at 17,152.20, down 106.36 points or 0.62 percent from the previous close, with a total volume of 1,736.34 million shares.
Similarly, BRIndex30 settled at 54,912.22, losing 352.71 points or 0.64 percent compared to the previous close, on a total volume of 1,493.86 million shares.
Topline Securities in its post-session review said that the KSE-100 Index largely traded in the negative zone throughout the session, driven by continued profit-taking by investors.
The major negative contributors to the index were MARI, UBL, HBL, POL, and ENGRO, which collectively dragged the index down by 681 points.
Trading volumes fell sharply, underscoring the depth of investor caution. The Ready Market turnover slumped to 1.98 billion shares from 3.08 billion in the previous session, while the traded value dropped from Rs 50.61 billion to Rs 36.99 billion.
Market breadth also turned decisively negative. Of 483 active companies, 277 declined, 166 advanced, and 40 remained unchanged.
Despite the downturn, WorldCall Telecom dominated activity in the Ready Market, with a massive turnover of 891.37 million shares, closing at Rs 2.23. K-Electric Ltd followed as the second most active scrip, trading 262.73 million shares before closing lower at Rs 7.38. Other heavily traded stocks included Bank of Punjab (BOP) with 84.16 million shares closing higher at Rs 35.83.
On the upside, Ismail Industries Limited surged Rs 95.97 to close at Rs 2,100.00, while The Thal Industries Corporation Limited climbed Rs 43.32 to end at Rs 648.32. In contrast, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited suffered the steepest decline, dropping Rs 185.27 to settle at Rs 29,551.00, followed by Hoechst Pakistan Limited, which fell by Rs 123.67 to Rs 4,026.33.
The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 25,203.50, registering a decline of 33.61 points or 0.13 percent, with a total turnover of 2.70 million shares.
The BR Cement Index ended higher at 13,114.64, gaining 31.18 points or 0.24 percent, on a total turnover of 46.59 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index settled at 50,101.93, down 199.79 points or 0.40 percent, with a total turnover of 143.05 million shares.
The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index fell 285.73 points, or 0.98 percent, to close at 28,730.38, recording a total turnover of 275.19 million shares.
The market capitalization of the Regular Market shed value, dropping to Rs 18.97 trillion from Rs 19.08 trillion on the previous day.
The BR Oil and Gas Index dropped 148.72 points, or 1.05 percent, to finish at 14,022.58, with a total turnover of 48.82 million shares.
Meanwhile, the BR Technology & Communication Index advanced 45.98 points, or 1.18 percent, to close at 3,954.51, leading the activity chart with a total turnover of 989.31 million shares.
Market analysts attributed the day’s weakness to profit-taking and lack of fresh triggers ahead of the corporate earnings season, with liquidity pressures further dampening investor sentiment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025